An open platform provides public programming ports and functions to interface with third party applications, such that the third party applications could expand their functions on the open platform, while not necessarily using resources of the open platform or modifying source codes of the open platform.
One of the primary functions of the open platform is to allow its registered users to share information (e.g., advertisements and promotions) from the third party applications that the users have used. As such, the open platform becomes a good channel for promoting the third party applications as well. For example, when a user who has registered on the open platform uses a third party application to complete a certain task (e.g., a game), the third party application prompts the user to share information related to the third party application on the open platform. The information related to the third party application includes a text message, a website link, a picture, an audio clip and the like. The user's friends who are also registered users would receive the information related to the third party application on the open platform. Therefore, the third party application could use the open platform to deliver and spread promotional information to more users.
Sometimes, the open platform is plagued with large amount of information that is pushed by third party applications without its authorization. This occurs partially because the open platform has allowed its registered users to receive any information items provided by their friends (who are also registered users) as far as these friends have been acknowledged, but not blocked, by the registered users. Without control over the information shared by its registered users, the open platform could waste a large amount of resources to distribute redundant information in a repeated manner. Particularly, the users of the open platform could voluntarily or involuntarily distribute the information related to third party applications that are malicious, and imposes security threats to their friends' user accounts. Therefore, there is a need to control information sharing activities on the open platform for each individual user or third party application associated with the open platform.